Christmas is coming.
While the goose is getting fat, I’m wondering about the woman who was getting bigger by the minute and, as the Christmas story goes, readying herself to give birth to a baby whom she would lay in a manger in a stable in a world that ultimately did not understand him very well.
Perhaps Jesus would have had a better shot at things if his beginnings were a little more … let’s say … reputable.
When Mary found herself pregnant, she faced off with an angel and an angel faced off with her fiancé. But there’s little remark made about how she faced off with the public. I’m surprised not by what she did, but what she didn’t do.
She didn’t stay home. She didn’t hide in shame.
I wonder how God felt about Mary’s reputation. I wonder if he worried what people would think—unmarried pregnant girl.
We can’t tell what he thinks, but we can see what he does.
He does nothing.
He doesn’t tell her to go into seclusion, as her cousin Elizabeth had just done. He doesn’t mention that the situation is delicate and people might get the wrong impression.
In fact, after Jesus is born and grows and gets busy preaching and teaching, we see how he feels about the wrong impression.
He doesn’t care.
He doesn’t care?
Well, he did write that we should not take these freedoms lightly and behave in ways that become a stumbling block for our buddies.
But in this story, Mary carries on with her days while unmarried, pregnant, and … unashamed? Perhaps there’s a subplot to the Christmas story:
Regard opinions lightly.
A friend once said to me that God would travel anywhere to have a relationship with someone, no matter where they are.
What he meant was, no matter society’s opinion of that person. No matter the church’s opinion of that person. No matter how they may look to the world. No matter.
Might that be the Christmas spirit? Deck the halls! And regard lightly others’ opinions on how far we’ve come and how far we’ve yet to go.
Years after baby Jesus is born, a pretty good friend meets Jesus after first insinuating that no good thing could possibly come from Nazareth. Nazareth—Jesus’ hometown.
Not good enough. Not good at all. He’s heard it all before.
If there really is possibly 365 days of Christmas each year, maybe a few of those could be spent free from the shackles of worry regarding public opinion.
Regard his opinion. Reflect on how far he’ll have to come to meet us.
He traveled so much as a baby! From Bethlehem to Egypt to Nazareth and on. How far off are you, from his itinerary of travel?
Not so far at all.
Unless he’s flying commercial with the full-body scan pat-down during the holiday rush …
And so this is Christmas!
